Chapter 6: Cherry-flavored little annoyance
### Chapter 6: Cherry-flavored little annoyance
The next day after Wangfu ran away with blueberries in his mouth, Chen Wangcai found it at the gate of Lin Xiaoman's house.
The dog was lying on the stone steps, basking in the sun. Beside it sat an empty ceramic bowl with some rice porridge still clinging to the bottom. Just as Chen Wang was about to call the dog, he saw Lin Xiaoman emerge from the house, clutching a clean blue plaid shirt—the same one he'd accidentally stained the last time he'd helped her move materials from the agricultural technology station.
"Your clothes." Lin Xiaoman handed over the shirt, her eyes a little evasive, not daring to look him in the eye. "Wangfu sent me some blueberries yesterday. I tried them, they're quite sweet."
Chen Wang took the shirt, his fingertips touching her wrist, and they moved away quickly like last time. He wanted to say, "I heard your heart," but he swallowed the words back at his lips - what if she didn't hear it, wouldn't it be very embarrassing?
"Is there anything else going on at the company?" Chen Wang had to change the subject.
"They're sending someone to inspect next week, and they might visit your backyard." Lin Xiaoman frowned again. "I've told the village committee that your orchard is a specialty plantation, so maybe we can secure a spot, but you'll need to prepare some planting records."
"I'll sort it out right away." Chen Wang agreed immediately, but he was thinking about another thing in his mind - this was a good opportunity to ask her to work overtime together.
But for the next two days, Lin Xiaoman didn't come to the backyard again. Chen Wang sighed beside the cherry saplings—the ones Lin Xiaoman had brought last week, saying they were from the old orchard. Right now, the branches were just beginning to produce green, bean-sized fruits. Up close, he could smell a faint astringency.
"Do you think she is angry?" Chen Wang poked the cherry fruit, and Wangfu barked twice beside him, as if nodding.
On the evening of the third day, Chen Wang finally couldn't help but go to the Agricultural Technology Station. From a distance, he saw Lin Xiaoman sitting at her desk, frowning over a stack of documents, twirling a pen in her hand. Just as he was about to go in, he heard her conversation with a colleague:
"Can Chen Wang's orchard really be saved? Those star tomatoes are so rare."
"It's hard to say. The company wants a contiguous piece of land. By the way, Xiaoman, does the 'spiritual plant' you mentioned last time really exist?"
Lin Xiaoman lowered his voice. "It's just a legend... But his orchard is truly special. We have to find a way to preserve it."
Chen Wang's heart warmed. Just as he was about to push the door open, he saw Lin Xiaoman picking up the dried blueberries on the table. He didn't know if it was his imagination, but her ears were quietly red. He suddenly changed his mind and turned back home.
The next morning, Chen Wang discovered that the cherries in his backyard had grown considerably larger. However, their skins were a strange, dark purple, and they felt firmer than ordinary cherries. He picked one and put it in his mouth, instantly frowning. Instead of a sweet and sour taste, it had a bitter, astringent flavor, like an unripe plum.
"Why is it so hard?" Chen Wang was wondering when he saw Lin Xiaoman rushing in with a blueprint in his hand. "Oh no! The company came for an advance inspection and is now at the village entrance!"
Chen Wang hurriedly followed her out of the yard. When they passed by the cherry seedlings, Lin Xiaoman suddenly stopped and glanced at the dark purple cherries, frowning slightly: "What's wrong with these cherries? They look like they've been wronged."
Chen Wang's heart skipped a beat—could these cherries also sense emotions? He was about to speak when he saw several men in suits approaching with the village committee director. The middle-aged man in the lead surveyed the backyard with disdain, "Is that all you have? You might as well plant our dwarf apples instead. They'll yield more quickly and yield more."
"This is a specialty crop. Look at these tomatoes..." Lin Xiaoman quickly pointed at the star-shaped tomatoes, but was interrupted before she could finish her words: "They're too fancy, the market won't accept them."
Chen Wang suddenly spoke up, "Last week, I posted photos of tomatoes online, and already three fruit stores have inquired about supply." He pulled out his phone and flipped through the order records—actually, he'd asked a friend in the city to forge them. But his tone was remarkably firm. "The market response to these varieties is very good, and the price is 30% higher than regular fruit."
The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment, then took the phone and flipped through it. Lin Xiaoman looked at Chen Wang in surprise, her eyes full of confusion, but she tacitly agreed not to expose him. At this moment, Wangfu suddenly barked at the tomato vines. Everyone looked in the direction of the barking and saw that on the thickest vine, the veins of a star-shaped tomato suddenly lit up, and the silhouettes of Chen Wang and Lin Xiaoman watering the plants side by side emerged. Although blurry, they exuded a fresh and lively vitality.
“What kind of technology is this?” The middle-aged man’s tone finally changed.
"It's a gift from the land." Lin Xiaoman spoke at the right time, handing over the prepared planting records. "This land is very special. The fruits grown here not only taste great, but also have a unique appearance. We plan to integrate rural tourism with a picking garden. Take a look..."
Her voice was clear and fluent. Chen Wang, standing beside her and watching her, suddenly felt his awkwardness disappear. Regardless of whether she heard her or not, the tacit understanding they felt standing side by side at this moment was more important than anything else.
After the expedition left, the backyard finally returned to silence. Lin Xiaoman leaned back in a bamboo chair, panting, beads of sweat on his forehead. "I was so scared just now. Luckily you reacted quickly."
"Thank you for covering up my lie." Chen Wang handed over the boiled water and hesitated before asking, "Last time with the blueberries...did you hear anything?"
Lin Xiaoman's face flushed instantly. She lowered her head and took a sip of water. Her voice was as thin as a mosquito: "I heard you say... You want to invite me to the old orchard."
Chen Wang's heart skipped a beat. Just as he was about to speak, he saw her suddenly look up with a hint of grievance in her eyes: "But you didn't mention it later. I thought you regretted it."
"No!" Chen Wang quickly waved his hand, "I was just worried you'd find it abrupt..."
Before he could finish his words, he heard a "pop" from the cherry seedlings, and a dark purple cherry fell to the ground. Lin Xiaoman picked it up, wiped it, put it in his mouth to taste, and then frowned: "It's so bitter."
"It tasted bitter this morning, too." Chen Wang suddenly realized, "Did it become bitter because we had a quarrel just now?"
Lin Xiaoman was stunned for a moment, then looked at the cherry fruits on the branches and suddenly laughed. "Maybe it is." Her smile was bright, like sunshine that dispelled dark clouds. "Then this weekend, do you want to go to the old orchard? My grandfather said that the old pear trees there can 'talk'."
Chen Wang's heart skipped a beat. He looked into her sparkling eyes and nodded vigorously: "Okay."
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the dark purple on the cherry saplings slowly fade, revealing a light pink. A gentle breeze blew, and the fruits on the branches swayed gently, as if applauding them. The sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves, shining on the two of them, warm and bright.
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